May 2015

10 318

10
NEWS WELCOME MAT
May15
STAY UPDATED ONLINE @
NEWS
Keeping you up to date with the latest
news and promotions around town,
plus heaps of online-only content. Tip:
For fabulous EL travel deals, go to
EVENTS CALENDAR
You’ll never miss a concert, play, sale
or exhibition again. Plus, upload your
own events for free by hitting “Post an
Event” on the homepage (top right).
WHERE TO BUY A COPY
Head to for a
list of retail outlets where you can buy
the latest copy of Expat Living. Better
still, subscribe at expatliving/shop.
HOW TO SELL YOUR OLD STUFF
Looking to sell off items online or in
the magazine? Post all the details and
photos by hitting “Post a Notice” on the
homepage (middle left).
Editor’s Letter
NEXT MONTH’S MAGAZINE
Outdoor Furniture • Preschools & Playgroups • Endocrinology
REBECCABISSET
Editor-in-Chief
EXPAT LIVING EVENTS
COFFEE MORNING:
Wednesday, 27th May
10.30am to 12.30pm
(Presentation starts at 11am)
THEME: Getting to grips with the laws of
Singapore that matter to you!
VENUE: Dreamweave Concepts
show home, 22 Lorong Sesuai,
Singapore 596170
COST: $10, includes refreshments and
goodie bag. Online booking is essential
at
In this month that we annually dedicate
our issue to someof thegreat Singapore
classics, the colonial black-and-white
homes, we also remember the man
that came in post-colonial times to help
make Singapore what it is today.
Having had the privilege of living in a few
different black-and-whites in Seletar (“the
countryside”!) over the years, varying from a
little two-bedder to, more recently, a three-bed
semi-detached, I can vouch for the practicality
and beauty of these buildings. My tiny new
condo manages to use up more electricity than
any of them!
The other Singapore classics are the
shophouses; I don’t think there are any
buildings in the world that can be so pretty
and creative, internally and externally. But I can look at the skyscrapers in
the financial district and some of the newer arcades and apartments and
appreciate their beauty too.
There are also some shockers, which I discovered when looking for my new
home. I only realised after I signed the lease that the underground parking was
too low for any vehicle over 2.4 metres in height, and that the only way to move
in furniture was to park on the main road and lug everything on trolleys down
the car-park ramp and into the lobby! I think I’ll have to hunt down the architect…
For now, though, let’s acknowledge the past and what it has given us today,
and hope that it guides and inspires us and future generations to come.
Singapore is a great country and I am looking forward to the 50th anniversary
celebrations already.
RIP and thank you, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
Photo taken by Littleones
Photography against a lovely old
shophouse door!